1. 简介
教会的历史是对其信友生活的叙述。事实上，历史中，天主的足迹不仅仅可见于教堂的建筑、堂区组织和我们的神职人员，也通过祂子民的行动看到祂的存在。
在“信仰标记”这一系列的四篇文章中，我们将谈论新加坡教会史上，一些鲜为人知或被遗忘的人事物，其内容背景都有平信徒和传教士的参与。
第一篇是圣文生善会被遗忘的战前历史，向那些有名有姓，早年在教会里辛勤耕耘，为贫困和饥饿者提供援助的人们致敬。
第二篇将呈现不同修会传教团体的传教工作；包括为贫困者、残疾人士和赤贫者等服务工作。当中数个修会团体已经从新加坡撤离，但是他们为各种族和信仰者所提供的援助和安慰的无私精神不该被忘记。
第三篇叙述了一个被遗忘的教会传统：”活念珠”。这是一个联系新加坡和全球天主教徒的敬礼活动。教会里有许多被遗忘的传统，应该重新发掘，以提醒我们是一个因信德团结在一起的团体。
今天，多数堂区和天主教学校独立地存在和运作。其实，他们都是教会团体中不可或缺的一部分。因此，最后一篇将分享我们曾经如何与教会学校紧密地联系。也许，研究和阐明这种被遗忘的联系，能够重燃彼此的合作关系以及对于教会的共同使命感。
作者简介
作者刘伟强（ Clement Liew ）为耶稣复活堂教友。曾就读于圣若瑟书院以及公教初级学院。学生时代参加圣母军，服役期间成为教理员。
大学时期，他发现自己对于历史研究和撰写我们教会及信友团体故事的热忱，并视之为召叫使命，因为这些珍贵记录促使他去追求真相以及他信仰的真理。在天主教学校执教数年后，他继续攻读新加坡大学的硕士学位，选择新加坡教会历史作为论文题。经过近十年的钻研，于2010年获得博士学位。
这些年来，作者敏锐地意识到自己的文化根源，以及它如何丰富了他的信仰。在“信仰标记”系列文章中，作者追溯了新加坡教会的历程，强调了我们共同遗产中被遗忘的部分。在重现历史面貌的过程中，作者希望我们发掘希望并启迪我们的智慧，走向未来。
概述
新加坡教会的历史记载往往围绕着体制发展或团体创办成员和重要人物的叙述。在某些方面, 许多关于“天主子民”工作的历史记载在他们的叙述中倾向官僚。因此，实际故事和有关会众贡献和牺牲的真相常常被忽略。此外，比起战后和近期的事迹，古老教堂的故事在堂区刊物上的报道也相对较少。当我在2012年一份天主教《公教报》
读到 DouglasRozario 在圣家堂的圣母军服务了63年的一篇文章时，我想起了一个事实。他分享到，他的家庭在二十世纪三十年代，从圣若瑟堂(维多利亚街)和圣文生善会的“圣安东尼面包基金”那里得到了经济援助。有趣的是, 一般有关圣文生善会的历史叙述，清楚地表明该组织成立于二十世纪五十年代，也就是随着我国建立了卫星镇，建立了许多新堂区后才成立的。
官方记录
根据本地圣文生善会现任一届和新加坡天主教总教区有关该善会历史的官方记录, 该慈善机构于1951年在圣伯多禄圣保禄堂，由巴黎外方传教士 Fr. H Bertold 成立。当时，他委派一些堂区教友，其中一位是新加坡慈善之父余炳亮先生，于1951年12月8日圣母无玷圣心瞻礼成立善会。从那时起, 其他支会也纷纷在新加坡其他堂区成立。其中首个是圣家堂（加东）支会。根据该支会的官方记录，它成立于1954年。然而, 在James Newton Boss一本备受赞誉的著作中所记录，善会是在1889年，首次在新加坡成立的。首先，很明显的, 新加坡圣文生善会成立的记录，不只一个版本。其次，James的记录似乎更符合 Douglas Rozario 对于战前岁月的家庭经验回忆。
此事的史实
从一份当代新闻的调查来源，善会在1883年5月首次被提及，当时爱德华主教（Bishop Edouard Gasnier，1833-1896) 提出在新加坡设立“圣文生慈善机构”的看法，是个”为救济穷人和贫困者“的善会。他设想 8 或 10 位教友可以管理这个机构。
在几个月之内, 主教的志向成了事实, 会众在当时的耶稣善牧堂 (在1888年成为主教座堂) 设立了“圣文生善会的新加坡支会”。1883年7月19日在主教府举行了他们的第一次会议, 当天也是圣文生善会巴黎母会的银庆日。随后, 它首个正式工作会议于1883年10月28日召开，首批创会职员当选: George S Reutens (主席) CP Richards (副主席) PA Reutens (名誉财政) Edwin Tessensohn(名誉秘书)。正是在这首次会议，善会对外公开该会的宗旨；即”为社区中的贫困和窘迫者”筹集捐赠和赞助。从此例得知, 新加坡的第一个善会支会是为了欧亚社团而开始设立的, 因为善牧堂是他们 的堂区。它也是殖民地政府承认的一个合法的教 会组织。随着1889《社团条例》实施后不久，政 府在1890年免除了圣文生善会的注册需要。 除了四名职员外，首个支会还有另12名活跃 成员, 他们是捐赠款项和实物的“筹集者”。团体 支助有需要的人、拜访“生病和窘困者”、提供 食物、衣物、房租和学费等各种援助。1883年10 月，善牧堂圣文生支会开始照顾7户家庭，都是 带着孩子的寡妇。到该年年底, 接受善会支助的家 庭数量几乎翻倍，达到13户。在所有的援助方式 中, 善会尽可能给予金钱。支会最初的资金是由成 员自己和欧亚社团中显要成员所捐赠。从1884年 起，善牧堂开始每月一次，把主日弥撒的一部分 收捐给予善会。善会成员也开始为领受接济者收 集旧衣服。直至1884年10月底，善会已将其工作 范围扩大；包括支助几名失业男子、支付3位贫困 住院者的医疗费用。从这个时期到第十九世纪末, 善会支助了20多个家庭。 打从开始，善牧堂圣文生善会的工作就备受 教会团体的极大赞赏。在一年内，申请救济援助 的有需要者远比善会所能负担处理的更多，有些 人不得不被拒绝。虽然善会每年的资产报表上的 收支数字平稳，但1887年, 随着所支助的家庭数目 上升到 27户，援助分配超过了所筹集到的。善会 不得已被迫停止支付贫困学生的学费。在接下来 的几年里，情况变得更具挑战性；募捐极不容易, 更不用说定期赞助慈善了！到了1892年, 它所支助 的家庭数量下降到20户, 而且11位善会成员中只有 7位积极筹募，因此有必要依靠其他方式以大幅度 增加善会的资源。 首先，善会改变了它每月收集捐款的方式， 善牧主教座堂(1888年已祝圣为主教座堂)将每月第 二个主日的全数收捐，而不是之前的一半数额， 全捐献善会。这些措施立即增加了善会的储金。 然而，善会的资源仍然是个挑战, 因为收集实物， 尤其是衣服的情况，更是令人沮丧。这是因为十 九世纪九十年代全球经济不景气，严重影响了新 加坡。这导致更多人需要经济援助，也意味着捐 款、定期赞助和实物捐赠也相应减少。步入1893 年，善会向25个家庭提供援助, 但与此同时, 岛上 的失业率继续恶化，更多人陷入贫困。
善会坚毅地回应了1893中期所面对的重重困难。首先，它组织了一个“市集” (嘉年华会) 来筹集急需的资金。1893年6月，他们呼吁公众捐赠可以在市集上出售的手工艺品和衣物。在一个月内，善会从四面八方收到大量的衣物。当尘埃落定时，1893年9月的市集筹得了1115元。扣除所有费用后，该市集的利润为788元，通常，这是他们一整年收取的金额。随后，善会于1893年11月在奎因街218号创办了一个妇女工作机构。该机构为有需要的女士提供就业机会, 她们可以从事针线活、裁剪女装。不幸的是，当时的经济状况过于艰巨，机构甚至无法支撑半年。它在1894年5月因缺乏营业支持而结束。这个时候，善会支助的家庭数量增加到了29户，同时，它也开始帮助“窘迫的陌生人完成他们回家的旅程” (这些人无法负担己的旅费而滞留在这里)。
善会的困难仍然存在。社会经济状况仍然严峻，直到十九世纪九十年代末。当时，旧事重演；善会继续面对资金短缺，申请援助的人逐年增加(许多必须被拒绝)，而杂物的价格持续上升。虽然善会所筹集的款项超过了1899年的支出, 但该年的支出明显高于前一年。善会的职员此时仍然由善牧堂团体的欧亚教友担任。
数大转变
本世纪初，新加坡圣文生善会迎来了数个大转变。善牧圣文生善会在法国传教士的主持下运作。而在葡萄牙传教士的堂区，属于澳门主教管辖的圣若瑟堂 (维多利亚街) 在1903年也考虑成立圣文生善会支会的计划。然而，由于早在1890年，那里已经有一个圣安东尼的祈祷小组，在维多利亚楼负责晚间礼仪，因此，会众决定先设立圣安东尼面包基金。这一切都始于1902年，当时葡萄牙传教会的会众开始募集资金, 成立善会支会, 以救济该堂区的贫困和有需要者。但是，所筹集的款项只是存入银行, 未有作为。直到1903中期，传教会决定，这些堂区逐月增加的赞助和捐款，将用于成立圣安东尼协会(圣安东尼面包基金)。1947年抵达新加坡的Fr Manual Texeira (葡萄牙传教会) 宣称，该基金会于1904年1月成立。
Texeira 进一步指出，成立葡萄牙传教会的圣文生善会，这个想法始于1889年4月, 并获得当时澳门主教的批准。根据这一说法, 有34名圣若瑟堂的教友为此意向，签署了一份文件, 但在接下来的59年里却没有任何进展。
Texeira “谴责” 圣若瑟堂教友失责，因为他们未能更早成立葡萄牙圣文生善会, 而错失了圣文生善会运动更长远和更富饶的遗产。Texeira 显然不知十九世纪九十年代是全球经济衰退严重时期。即使是更有规模的善牧支会也在挣扎维持，更何况是开始一个全新，并依赖财政拮据社区捐赠的慈善机构。同时，明显的是，当战前的善会还未重整之时，1947年抵达的Texeira并没有意识到善会在法国传教会成立下的工作。或是，他选择无视这一部分新加坡天主教教史。与此相关的事实是，葡萄牙传教会在本世纪初也有一个慈善机构，援助并照顾自己堂区欧亚贫困者的需要。这些人数绝不比善牧圣文生善会少。根据1919年的报道，有65户家庭接受面包基金的援助。必须指出的是，这个基金会的基金原是为葡萄牙圣文生善会所筹集的, 这些资金后被转移到同等重要的圣安东尼面包基金。
与此同时, 在主教座堂的圣文生善会也有了很大的转变。1900年6月, 附属法国传教会的平信徒设立了新加坡天主教俱乐部，他们被授权使用位于73号勿拉士峇沙路一栋属于教区的建筑物。这个俱乐部的故事和它的建筑是新加坡教会遗产其中一个重要事迹，应该记录存档。关于圣文生善会战前的历史，如同在1893年所进行的，善会继续筹办“集市”筹款，增加自己的“宝藏”, 以继续其慈善工程。另一方面，私人机构如日本摄影机 Matsuo和教会团体如天主教会俱乐部，分别通过放映电影和戏剧表演帮助善会。天主教俱乐部逐渐成为善会募款的佼佼者。在这些额外支助下, 善会得以增加其服务范围。1900年后, 善会成员开始拜访医院和麻风病人 (贫民医院—陈笃生，和麻风病人收容所)。
从1906年到1909年，天主教俱乐部所主办的善会年度集市都是相当成功的活动。例如, 1909年在维多利亚纪念堂举行的集市，为善会筹得2700叻币。然而，随着接受支援者逐年增加, 资金仍然缺乏。到了1913年，善会照顾40个家庭(约500人), 资金周转再次陷入超低，更多的筹款集市被组织起来以帮助弥补短缺。天主教俱乐部再次伸出援手；从1916到1935年，俱乐部将所有筹款活动，尤其是每个圣诞节庆的收益, 帮助善会支助的孩子, 那时，俱乐部也会在会所招待孩子们。
这一切再次证明了, 当阴霾笼罩时，一股助力就会奇迹般地为圣文生会员打开一扇希望之窗。有了这些支援，从1925到1940年，善牧支会能够支持60至70个家庭。加上善会的一项明智投资，为善会赚得每年575元 (或更多) 的额外金额。到了1927年，这笔资本增至9796元。因此，尽管已有70个家庭归属他们照顾，该会仍能在那年帮助没有登记的受惠者。
在二十世纪三十年代，一些主要会员的贡献获得善会对于他们的肯定。其中包括Lawrence Justinian Shepherdson 和 WF Mosbergen。1937年他们在罗马获得教宗颁发的奖章和荣誉证书。Shepherdson自1892年以来一直在善会服务，并于1908年担任主席, 他同时也被赋予教区穷人之父的荣誉。该善会的顾问医生 FO de Souza 为善会的贫病者奉献了多年的服务，1939年因为健康状况不佳而退休。
战前，第二个圣文生善会支会也在加东圣家堂成立。1936年 Fr PE Ruaudel 担任该堂的本堂司铎，建立圣文生善会支会和天主教行动协会(Catholic Action Society)。天主教行动协会的资金为教区贫穷天主教徒的孩子提供免费教育。不幸的是，当时战争即将爆发，善牧支会和加东支会都无法幸免于战争的蹂躏。1945年解放后，善会并没有复苏，可能是因为它的许多成员, 特别是欧亚团体，即使在占领时期幸存，也元气大伤。
战前马来亚小记
有人指出，1893年，除了善牧支会，别处海峡殖民地也有其他圣文生支会。然而，至今并没有发现有关信息。但在1933年, Adrien Pierre Devals神父（后晋升主教）被宣称在槟城的圣母升天堂“抢救”了圣文生善会。到了1935年，圣母升天支会宣布它是马来亚第一个支会，“隶属巴黎的总会”。有趣的是，马来亚的圣文生善会指出，圣母升天支会始于1934，那么，1934年之前的故事是否存有？是否应该是1933？
战后后记
发掘圣文生善会在新加坡的战前故事为善会制造了一个新难题。如果它承认其战前遗产将意味着圣文生善会今年应该庆祝服务贫困者135年周年。同时，有必要核对官方记载与战后善会的建立记录。今天善会庆祝1951为他们的创始年，另一方面葡萄牙传教会则将它定在1948年。
让我们按时间顺序一看究竟；圣若瑟支会是由Fr Manual Texeira 于1948年1月25日组织的。同年10月24日在巴黎的总理事会聚合。应指出的是，沿用民族和方言划分教区的战前安排，在战后变得模糊不清，善牧主教座堂也不再是欧亚堂区。正是在这种背景下，葡萄牙传教会的欧亚人能够与加东堂区联合建立一个新支会。在 1949年6月23日，圣若瑟支会成员迁移到在加东新成立的圣方济萨勿略支会，于1949年12月26日附属于巴黎总理事会。从仅有八名成员开始，它在 Cyril de Souza 位于31 号海格路的家举行了第一次会议。一个月内，成员人数增加到11人, 为五个家庭提供援助。
1950年, 圣若瑟支会和圣方济萨勿略支会，与马六甲一个新成立的支会：圣伯多禄支会合并。然后在 1951-52年, 一个新的支会在圣伯多禄圣保禄堂成立。这是圣文生善会的国家理事支会，即 Fr H Bertold 于1951所创始的。
有趣的是，在 1952年3月2日，圣若瑟支会宣布善牧主教座堂在那年成立支会。显然，这个新善牧支会与它的前辈在1883年所建立的没有联系。然后在 1952年6月30日，大约10位圣若瑟支会的成员组成“上主的圣若望支会”(牛顿区)。这个新支会在1952年11月24日成为巴黎理事会的附属。最后, 1952年7月20日，圣文生善会的葡萄牙传教会特别委员会成立。1952年11月24日附属于巴黎。
我们不确定圣文生善会在葡萄牙传教传统和今天各支会之间的创始故事是如何产生的。是因葡萄牙和法国传教会之间的论战关系所造成？或是有待进一步探索的情况？无论如何，一个版本已被教区正式采纳，另一个没有受到教会的争议。发掘圣文生善会的战前故事，无疑为需要解答的真相增添了一个更大的难度。
重要的是，圣文生先锋在经历波涛汹涌的海洋和旅程时, 它打开了一个窗口，进入慈善工作的世界，同时显示了某些课题至今仍受到关注。服务贫困和需要者从来都不是一件容易的事。由于资源有限，教会和慈善团体都不能帮助每一个求助者。同时，人们必须意识到, 服务边缘化群体的人士必须是拥有强大信德和希望者，因为他们必须在面临各种限制和实际障碍上耕耘。寻找这些昔日英雄的故事也是一个具有启发性的旅程。事际上, 他们根本就不应该被遗忘。也许, 虽然战争和日本占领时期是造成我们教会史畸变的真正原因, 然而，它不该是阻止我们进一步探索的理由。
文/图：刘伟强
Our Forgotten Catholic Heritage
Clement Liew Wei Chiang
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The history of a Church is an account of the lives of its people. In truth, the hand of God in history can only be seen by recognizing His presence in the acts of His people, and not just about the church buildings, parish organizations and our clergymen. In this series of four articles, several little known or forgotten histories of the Singapore Church will be discussed in the context of the laity and missionaries involved. The first details the forgotten pre-war history of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, giving names and faces to some of those who laboured in the Church in the early years to provide aid to the needy and hungry. In the next article, the work of the various missionary congregations involved in helping the poor, handicapped and destitute is covered. A number of them are no more in Singapore and their part in providing aid and comfort all regardless of ethnicity and creed should not be forgotten. The third article gives an account of a forgotten Church tradition, the Living Rosary. It was an event and devotion that tied every Catholic in Singapore and globally. There were many such forgotten traditions in the Church which ought to be rediscovered so as to help remind us that we form a community of people united in faith. The final article will share the forgotten connections or parishes had with our Mission schools. Today, most parishes and Catholic schools exist and function independently. There was a time when they were part and parcel of one church community. Perhaps, examining and articulating this forgotten connection may rekindle relationships and the sense of co-ownership.
Writer’s Profile
The author Clement Liew Wei Chiang was brought up in Toa Payoh and attended the Church of Risen Christ. IN school, he joined the Legion of Mary at St Joseph’s Institution and he became a Catechist while serving his National Service. Having been in the Normal Stream in secondary school, he was fortunate to have been able to go on to Catholic Junior College and then to National University of Singapore where he discovered his zeal for researching history and writing the story of our Church. He considers chronicling the history of the Singapore Catholic Church and its community a life’s calling because it allows him to pursue the Truth, and the truth about his faith. After devoting several years to teaching in Catholic schools, he went on to pursue a Masters at the University of Singapore, choosing the history of the Singapore Church as the topic of his dissertation. And after almost a decade in researching and writing Singapore history, which included building a museum, he finally earned his doctorate in 2010. Through the years, he has grown acutely aware of his cultural roots and how that had enriched his faith. In this series, the author traces the journey of Church in Singapore, placing emphasis on the forgotten parts of our shared heritage. In re-laying the stones that formed the long road we have taken a community the faithful in history, the author hopes we can all rediscover the little nuggets that would provide hope and inspire wisdom in our walk into the future.
(1)Unearthing the Pre-war Heritage of the
Society of St Vincent de Paul in Singapore
Overview
The historical account of churches in Singapore often revolve around institutional developments or accounts of founding members and important personalities of the organization. In some ways, many historical accounts of the work of the “people of God” have taken a bureaucratic slant in their narratives. As such, the real story on the ground and the truth about the contribution and sacrifices of the congregation are often glossed over. Also, the stories of the old Church are also often given less coverage in parish publications vis-à-vis their post-war and recent accounts. I was reminded of this reality when I came across a 2012 article in the Catholic News about Douglas Rozario of Holy Family Church who had been serving in the parish’s Legion of Mary for 63 years. Interestingly, he shared that his family had received financial aid in the 1930s from the St Anthony Bread Fund of St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street) and the St Vincent de Paul. [1] What struck me was that the popular accounts of the history of the SVDP I have come across clearly stated that the organization was established in the 1950s and beyond, following the creation of numerous new parishes in satellite towns (New Towns) which our new Nation State created from the 1950s and 1960s.
Official Accounts
According to the present local chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) and the Singapore Archdiocese’s official account of SVDP’s history, the charitable institution was established in 1951 at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul by Fr H Bertold (MEP) when he tasked some of his parishioners, among whom was Mr Ee Peng Liang, Singapore’s Father of Charity, to establish the society on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, on 8 December 1951. From then, the establishment of other “Conferences” of the SVDP in Singapore’s parishes followed.[2] One of the first of these “offspring” was the SVDP conference of the Holy Family Church (Katong), and according to this conference’s official history, it was established in 1954.[3] Yet, in other publications by James Newton Boss,[4] which received significant accolades,[5] it was stated that the SVDP was first established/conceived in Singapore in 1889.[6] Firstly, it is clear that there exist more than one account of the founding of the SVDP in Singapore. Secondly, James Newton Boss account seems to be more consistent with Douglas Rozario’s memory of family experience during the pre-war years.
The Historical Facts of the Matter
A survey of contemporary press sources unearthed the first mention of the SVDP in May 1883, when Bishop Edouard Gasnier (1833-1896)[7] mooted the idea of establishing at Singapore, a “Charitable Institution of St Vincent” which was “a society [founded] for the relief of the poor and needy”. He envisaged that “8 or 10” lay members of the Church could manage this institution.[8]
Within a couple of months, the Bishop’s aspiration became a reality when the congregation at the Church of Good Shepherd (made Cathedral in 1888) established the “Singapore branch of the “Society of the St Vincent de Paul”. They held their first meeting at the Bishop’s House on 19 July 1883, on the day of the Silver Jubilee of the Mother Society in Paris.[9] Following this, its first official working meeting was held on 28 October 1883, when its founding officers were elected: George S Reutens (President), CP Richards (Vice President), PA Reutens (Honorary Treasurer), Edwin Tessensohn (Honorary Secretary). It was during this first gathering that the objectives of the society was made public – to collect donation and subscription for the “needy and distress amongst the community”.[10] In this instance, the first branch of the SVDP in Singapore was started for the European-Eurasian community as the Church of Good Shepherd was their parish.[11] It was also recognized a legitimate Church organization by the colonial government from the outset. In 1890, soon after the 1889 Societies Ordinance was introduced, the government exempted the SVDP from the need to register.[12]
Besides the four elected officers, the first SVDP conference had also 12 active members who were “collectors” of donations in cash and kind. As a group, they supported the needy, visited “the sick and distress”, provided aid in the form of food, clothing, house rent and school fees. Interestingly, it was articulated that their clients had to be “respectable people in needy circumstances”.[13] The Good Shepherd SVDP conference started with seven families under its care in October 1883, all having been widows with children. By the end of the year, the number of such families supported by the society had almost doubled to thirteen.[14] Of all the aid given, the society tried as far as possible not to dispense cash relief. The initial funds of this conference had been donated by the SVDP members themselves, and from the most prominent members of the Eurasian community.[15] From 1884, the Church of the Good Shepherd also gave part of a Sunday mass collection once a month to the SVDP. The members of the society also started collecting old clothes for its recipients. By end October 1884, the conference had expended its works to include supporting several unemployed men and paying the medical expenses of three poor warded in the hospital. From this time till the end of the nineteenth century, the society would support over 20 families.[16]
The work of Good Shepherd’s SVDP was greatly appreciated by the Church community right from the start, and within a year, more needy persons had applied for relief aid than the society could handle.[17] Some had to be turned away. Although the conference had been able to maintain a positive figure on the balance sheet yearly,[18] by 1887, with the number of families supported by the society rising to 27,[19] aid distribution exceeded collection. The society was forced to discontinue paying poor students’ school fees beyond this year.[20] And the situation became more challenging in the years following. It was not easy to solicit donation, let alone regular subscriptions for charity. By 1892, when the number of families it supported fell to 20, and with only 7 out of 11 of its members collecting actively, it became necessary to resort to alternative means to significantly augment the resources of the SVDP.[21]
For a start, the society changed the way it collected its monthly subscription and the Good Shepherd (already made a Cathedral since 1888) gave the entire collection of every second Sunday of the month, instead of half as it was done before. These measures increased the conferences coffers immediately. However, the SVDP remained resource challenged as the collection in kind, especially clothing, had been dismal.[22] The reason for this situation was the floundering global economy entering the 1890s had seriously impacted Singapore.[23] While this led to more people needing financial aid, it also meant that monetary contribution, regular subscriptions and donations in kind had also diminished accordingly. Going into 1893, the society stretched their resources to provide aid to 25 families, but at the same time, unemployment on the island continued to worsen and even more people fell into poverty.[24]
The SVDP responded resolutely from mid-1893, facing the difficulties head-on. First, it organized a “bazaar” (fun fair) to raise the much needed funds. In June 1893, they made an appeal to the public to donate handiwork and clothing which could be sold at the fair.[25] Within a month, the society received a large quantity of clothing from all quarters.[26] When the dust settled, the Fair in September 1893 collected $1,115. After deducting all costs, the Fair netted a profit of $788, a sum they normally collected in a whole year.[27] Following this, the Good Shepherd SVDP started a Women’s Work Institution at 218 Queen Street in November 1893. The institution provided employment to needy ladies who could undertake needle work and make ladies’ dresses.[28] Unfortunately, the economic condition of the day proved too challenging. The institution did not survive even half a year. It folded in May 1894 due to a lack of support (business).[29] At this time, the number of families supported by the society had increased to 29 and it had also started helping “distressed strangers to complete their journey” home (people who could not afford to pay for their own passage and were stranded here).[30]
The society’s difficulties continued. Had it not had a healthy sum on the balance sheet ($556.43) carried over from 1893, the society would have had a deficit in the following year, as disbursement ($943.26) exceeded total collection ($679.68).[31] The socioeconomic conditions on the island remained dire up till the end of the 1890s. It was the same story: the society continued to suffer a shortage of funds, the people applying for aid increased yearly (and many had to be turned away), while the prices of provisions continued to increase unabated. Although the conference had managed to collect more than had been expended by 1899, the disbursement for that year was significantly higher than the previous year.[32] The society’s officers were at this time still Eurasians of the Good Shepherd community: GS Reuten (President), HD Chopard (Vice President), WJ Valberg (Secretary) and JL Scheerder (Treasurer).[33]
The turn of the century heralded several major shifts for the St Vincent de Paul movement in Singapore. The Good Shepherd SVDP conference had operated under the auspices of the French Mission at Singapore. Over at St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street), the parish of the Portuguese Mission (under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Macao), plans for starting a branch of the SVDP was also considered in 1903.[34] However, as there had already been a church prayer group of St Anthony of Padua at the Portuguese Mission which had been holding evening services at Victoria House (Victoria Street, opposite St Joseph’s Church, the present site National Library, LKC Building) since the early 1890s,[35] the congregation decided to establish the St Anthony Bread Fund first.[36] It all started in 1902 when the congregation of the Portuguese Mission started collecting money to form a fund for establishment a branch of SVDP for the relief of the needy and poor in that parish. But the collection was simply put in to the bank and nothing was done. By mid-1903, the mission decided that the funds, augmented by a monthly subscription and donation from the parish, would be used to establish the Society of St Anthony de Padua (St Anthony Bread Fund).[37]
Fr Manual Texeira (Portuguese Mission), who arrived in Singapore in 1947, has declared that the Fund was started in January 1904.[38] He further states that the idea of starting the society of the SVDP of the Portuguese Mission was originally conceived in April 1889 when the Bishop of Macao approved the formation of such a society at the Portuguese Mission of Singapore. According to this account, a document for this intent was signed by 34 parishioners of St Joseph’s, but nothing more was done for the next 59 years.[39] Texeira went on to “chastise” the failure of these St Joseph’s parishioners for their failure to establish the Portuguese SVDP earlier as it robbed the SVDP movement of a far longer and richer heritage.[40] In this instance, Fr Texeira was clearly unaware that the 1890s had been a period of serious global economic recession. Even the more established Good Shepherd conference struggled to keep their endeavour alive, let alone start a whole new charity dependent on the donation from a financially strapped community. It is also clear, that Fr Texeira, having arrived in 1947, when the pre-war SVDP conference had yet to be re-established, was not fully aware of the society’s work under the French Mission, or he had chosen to disregard this part of the history of the Catholic Church of Singapore.[41] What is pertinent in this instance is the fact that the Portuguese Mission, by the turn of the century, had also a charitable institution that distributed aid and took care of the needs of the poor Eurasians at their own parish. And it was by no means smaller than the Good Shepherd SVDP. It was reported in 1919, the Bread Fund had under its care, 65 families.[42] It must be pointed out that the foundation of this Fund was the resources collected for the Portuguese conference of the SVDP which were diverted to this no less worthy institution.
Meanwhile, the progress of the SVDP at the Good Shepherd had taken a significant turn as well. In June 1900, the laity under the French Mission established for themselves, the Singapore Catholic Club. They were given the use of no. 73 Bras Basah Road (on the site of today’s NTUC building, at the junction of Queen Street and Bras Basah Road, opposite the Cathedral, and opposite the old St Joseph’s Institution), a property that had belonged to the Diocese. The story of this club and its building is altogether a noteworthy story of the Singapore Church’s heritage which ought to be written (in another article) one day. With regards to the history of the pre-war SVDP, the Catholic Club increasingly became the champion fund raiser for the society up till the late 1930s. While the society itself continued organizing fund raising “bazaars” like it did in 1893 to augment its own “treasury” which enabled it to continue its charitable works,[43] private organizations like the Matsuo Japanese Cinematograph,[44] and Church societies like the Catholic Club,[45] gave film shows and performed dramas, respectively, in aid of the cause of the SVDP. With these additional support, the SVDP was enabled to increase its scope of work. After 1900, SVDP members started visiting the hospital and lepers (Pauper Hospital – Tan Tock Seng, and the Leper Asylum) as well.[46]
From 1906 to 1909, the Catholic Club hosted or took over the organizing of the annual SVDP bazaars for the conference. These were rather successful events. The bazaar of 1909, held at the Victoria Memorial Hall, for example, raised $2,700 (Straits Dollars) for SVDP.[47] Yet, as the years went by and the numbers supported by the conference increased, funds remain lacking. By 1913, the society had 40 families under its care (about 500 persons), and funds for disbursement became critically low once again, more fund raising bazaars were organized to help meet shortfalls.[48] And once again, the Catholic Club stepped in to give the SVDP a much need helping hand. From 1916 to 1935, the club would donate proceeds from all fund raising events to aid the children supported by the SVDP, especially during every Christmas season, when the club also entertained the children at the clubhouse.[49]
Once again, when the clouds darkened, a ray of help would miraculously open a window of hope for the labouring Vincentians. With the additional aid, the Good Shepherd conference was able to support 60 to 70 families from 1925 to 1940.[50] This was also in no small part due to the society’s wisdom of placing close to $8,000 into an endowment (government bond) in 1925 that earned the conference an additional $575 (or more) yearly.[51] By 1927, the capital in the society’s endowment had grown to $9,796. The conference was able to aid unregistered recipients in this year despite having 70 families in its care.[52]
The Good Shepherd SVDP continued its work with the needy right up to the last days before the outbreak of war. In the 1930s, several key members of society were particularly recognized for their contribution to the conference. Amongst them were Lawrence Justinian Shepherdson and WF Mosbergen, both of whom received the Medal and Certificate of the Honour of Bene Merenti from Rome in 1937. Shepherdson, who had been with the society since 1892, and served as its President in 1908, was also given the honour of being called the Father of the Poor of the Parish.[53] The society’s consultant doctor, FO de Souza, who devoted years of service to conference’s sick and poor, had also to retire in 1939 on account of his failing health.[54]
The pre-war years of the SVDP also saw a second conference established at the Church of the Holy Family. When Fr PE Ruaudel became the parish priest of the Katong church in 1936, he set up a branch of the SVDP and a Catholic Action Society (CAS) there. The funds of the CAS had provided free education for the children of poor Catholics of the parish.[55] Unfortunately, the winds of war was just around the corner by this time. Both the Good Shepherd and the Katong conferences will not survive the ravages of war. Liberation in 1945 did not see the recovery of this society, probably because many of its members, and specifically, the Eurasian community, did not come out of the Occupation period unscathed, if they survived at all.
Just a Note on Pre-war Malaya
It was noted that in 1893, there were other SVDP societies in the other Straits Settlements, besides the Good Shepherd conference.[56] However, no information about them were found at this point. Then, in 1933, it was announced that Fr Adrien Pierre Devals (later Bishop) “resuscitated” the SVDP in Penang, at the Church of Assumption.[57] By 1935, the Assumption conference declared that it was first SVDP conference in Malaya “affiliated to the head of the society in Paris”.[58] Interestingly, the Malaysian SVDP states that the Assumption conference was started in only 1934.[59] Was there a pre-1934 story, and should it be 1933 instead?
Post-war Postscript
Unearthing the pre-war story of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in Singapore creates a new conundrum for the society. Should it acknowledge its pre-war heritage, which if it does, would mean that the SSVP should celebrate, this year, 135 years of service to the poor and needy?
Secondly, there is still a need to reconcile the different official accounts with regards to the establishment of SSVP in the post-war years. Today’s Council celebrates 1951 as their founding year. The Portuguese Mission, on the other hand, dates it at 1948.
Let’s look at the facts chronologically. The St Joseph’s Conference was organized by Fr Manual Texeira on 25 January 1948.[60] It was “aggregated to the General Council in Paris” on 24 Oct 1948.[61] It should also be noted that the pre-war arrangement of parishes being organized along ethnic and dialectal lines had become blurred in the post-war years. The Cathedral of Good Shepherd was no more an Eurasian parish as well. It was in this context that the Eurasians of the Portuguese Mission, were able link up with the Katong church to create a new conference. It was on 23 June 1949 that members of the St Joseph’s Conference migrated to become members of the newly formed St Francis Xavier Conference at Katong. It became affiliated to the General Council in Paris on 26 December 1949. Starting with just eight members, it held its first meetings at 31 Haig Road, at the home of Cyril de Souza. Within a month, membership of this conference grew to 11, and it had five families to aid.[62]
In 1950, the St Joseph’s Conference and St Francis Xavier Conference were joined by a newly created and affiliated conference at Malacca – the St Peter’s Conference.[63] Then in 1951-52, a new conference was started at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul.[64] This would be the conference the National Council of the SSVP states that Fr H Bertold started in 1951.
Interestingly, on 2 March 1952, the St Joseph’s Conference announced that the Good Shepherd Cathedral had formed their own conference in that year.[65] Clearly, this new Good Shepherd Conference had no links with its predecessor established in 1883. Then on 30 June 1952, the conference of St John of God (Newton area) was formed by members (about 10) of the St Joseph’s Conference. This new conference became affiliated to the Paris Council on 24 Nov 1952.[66] Finally, it was 20 July 1952 that the Particular Council of the SSVP of the Portuguese Mission was formed. It became affiliated to Paris on 24 Nov 1952.[67]
Final Note
It is uncertain how the different beginning stories of the SSVP between the Portuguese Mission tradition and the present day conferences came about. Was it a created by the polemical relationship between the Portuguese and French missions or there are there yet to be understood circumstances which deserves further exploration? In any case, while one version has been made the official diocesan account, the other has not been disputed by the present church. The unearthing of the pre-war story of the St Vincent de Paul Society has most certainly added a greater dimension to the mystery that needs solving.
What is important though, in charting out the rough seas and journey taken by the pioneering Vincentians had taken more than a century ago, it has opened a window into the world of charity work in the yesteryears and how certain issues are still very much with us today. The service to the poor and needy has never been an easy one. With limited resources, neither the Church nor its component charitable societies can help every single person knocking at the doors. At the same time, one must recognize how those serving the marginalized must be people of great faith and hope – as they have to labour on when faced with limitations and real present day obstacles. Finding the missing stories of these past heroes has also been a most edifying journey. But, in truth, they should never have been forgotten in the first place. Perhaps, while the war and Japanese Occupation period had been real causes in the aberration of our Church history … there is no reason why we cannot always enquire further.
